Tomorrow is July 4th and celebrations in my home country will begin in earnest tonight, especially in Texas. But I am not "home" to participate. Far away in the Kurdish region of Iraq,-where today the temperature reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit or 47.7 degrees Celsius-is where I will privately cherish the fact that I grew up and still enjoy "freedoms"-especially as a female-that few others have in many parts of the world- including here.

July 4th commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from England in 1776. Officially we separated from the rule and control of the British who had overtaken parts of the north American continent since the 1580s. The 13 colonies declared war with this document and like many emerging countries, our 'freedom' and 'independence' were only achieved by armed struggle, long fighting, death on all sides and finally a signed treaty. Theoretically the United States (formerly colonies) were independent after this "Revolutionary War" from the control, interference and rule of England. However, digging deeper we will find bonds of control with Britain are as strong as ever. Have you ever heard of the Serco system? "The British Crown and the British East India Company have never left America, and in fact, they have a stranglehold on the U. S. economy. The Bank of England, the City of London, and ultimately the British Monarchy – Queen Elizabeth II, own and control U. S. data management, corporate banking, resources of gas, uranium, gold, and many strategic resources and systems in the United States. For example, did you know that the U. S. Patent Office is controlled by Serco? That’s right, a BRITISH based company controls the creative efforts of American entrepreneurs and creators. Serco was the company awarded the Obamacare data management system that cost America’s over $2 billion."https://aim4truth.org/2018/04/11/tentacles-of-serco-strangle-america/What about the British interference in USA elections? "According to the Washington Post the British, at the behest of American president George Bush, ran through their own passport files from the period when Clinton was studying at Oxford to see if they could find that he had applied for a British passport in a bid to avoid serving in the Vietnam War.'https://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/niallodowd/when-the-british-interfered-in-a-us-presidential-electionThe Washington Post reported: “The British government was conducting its own 'comprehensive' search through confidential files in London for material on the Democratic presidential candidate, a British government spokesman said."

What about USA intel systems and US military-surely they are they independent!? Research this on your own but here is just one example:"Some US $56 billion or 70% of the US $80 billion national intelligence budget of the United States was in 2016 earmarked for the private sector. Functions previously performed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), and other intelligence agencies are now outsourced to private British intelligence corporations. Prominent British intelligence agencies who maintain military and government contracts with America are:

The CAI (Crown Agency International)-yes very close to CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)- is again based in the UK with branches in the USA. CAI is one of the largest contractors for USAID (for example) and the US DOS (Department of State). "Crown Agents International (CAI) is an international development company that works with governments, aid agencies, NGOs and companies in nearly 100 countries."

Therefore dear friends, family and fellow citizens: when and if you raise a glass tomorrow to toast our freedoms - the joy of Independence Day-from the UK-think again. What does independence actually mean and are we really independent from Britain in 2018? Or has "rule Britannia" just continued is a more subtle but continuously invasive manner since 1587. Do we wish this to continue?!

HAPPY 4th Of JULY!!!

From Iraq, another country that was formerly under British rule and whose borders were determined by the Sykes-Picot (British/French treaty).....enjoy a "cold one" or two, your bar-be-que and air conditioning wherever you may be.